Turning of the Tides
by MichaellaLoe
Summary: Sam and Andy respond to a report of an abandoned child, but things start to snowball when a mere abandonment case turns into much more. Things start to go awry for Andy, personally and on the job, and she can't tell if everything can and will be fixed.
1. Abby

Hello! (Wow, lame summary much? Was I the only who could hear it in that weird, really low, movie trailer voice?.. Just me?)

I would just like to note, Toronto decided to not rearrange it geography in order to fit the image I had in my head. Seriously, I google mapped and I struggled to find a river... But in my mind there is most definitely a river with a bridge over it (Looking at it now, it's very Madeline-esque). So, I'd say that's -1 for Toronto. And no, these streets do not exist in Toronto. Well..maybe somewhere they do, but I stole them from my city.

Ah! I forgot to mention! Pre-Hot & Bothered. I'm thinking... definitely post-Bullet Proof. That plumbing event was pretty milestone so I'll include it. Oh, and warning, there is a swear... Oops.

**Disclaimer: Don't own Rookie Blue**

* * *

The clouds hung threateningly in the air and were being pulled in by the wind. Fall was definitely on its way. The sun's rays were struggling to shine their way through the clouds. I'd say it was a normal day, but in reality it really wasn't. I was on patrol with Sam, and it was strangely dull. And I was starting to learn that Sam didn't handle 'dull' well.

He suddenly pressed on the brakes lightly, half stopping, causing me to rock forward. I looked at him in confusion, but then he picked up speed again. _'Strange_...' I thought. We continued driving until Sam once again braked, almost coming to a stop, then continued driving at normal speed. "Sir?" I asked once I fell back against the car seat. Sam said nothing in response. I shook my head, not bothering to understand what his deal was, then turned to look out the window. I rested my elbow by the window and rested my chin on the back of my hand. The street was more or less empty; a few parked cars, a group of teens probably skipping school, an abandoned playground. The car suddenly made a sharp swerve. There was a loud 'thud' as I bashed my forehead against the window and yelped in surprise. I looked forward, wondering what caused us to swerve, to find nothing in the street. In fact, the car had already straightened back out and was easing down the road normally. Once I got over my initial panic of a nearly pedestrian or oncoming car, I finally realized that Sam was laughing uncontrollably.

I gently rubbed my head, now aware of the dull thudding, and turned to him. "Sam! What the hell?"

Sam just kept on laughing maniacally. "You did that on purpose!" I shouted while feigning anger, trying to resist smiling or laughing which I found very difficult to do.

"Is that any way to treat your partner?" I asked, taking a different approach. I overlooked the fact that it was basically a one-way conversation to begin with.

Sam had finally gotten minor control of himself. Enough to reply, "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. But it's all part of the job, McNally."

I scoffed and put on a sarcastic visage. "To be harassed by your partner is part of the job?"

"As your Training Officer, I have two important duties. One is to make sure you don't end up dead on the job. The second is to haze you in any way I can think of."

Andy crossed her arms skeptically. "Those were your exact instructions when you got assigned a rookie?"

"More or less. Maybe not verbatim but basically," he said with a shrug as I shook my head in disbelief. And then he smiled at me. "Besides, what else can I do? I mean, it's not even lunch yet!" Sam said while indicating the clock.

"Just because it's a slow day and you can't find anything else to do, doesn't mean you can just spend your time torturing me."

Sam's eyebrows shot up. "Hey! That's too far," he said defensively. "I was not torturing you. Pissing you off, maybe, but I don't torture people." I shook my head at how seriously he was taking my statement. "Look at it this way, now things should be picking up soon."

I turned to him with a look of bewilderment on my face.

"It's a cop thing. Never say a day is going slow because then something's bound to happen. Soon. Hopefully." I instantly understood why my father was such a suspicious man. I asked him if there were any other curses I should know about. Eventually, we got lost in small talk.

"We've got a report of an abandoned child on Montague Street just off Athol. The woman was walking by and reported seeing the child asleep by the bridge."

Sam reacted quicker than I did and flicked the lights on. "Nice work, McNally," he said genuinely leaving me completely boggled. We drove off to the location that was given to us by dispatch, and after what seemed like mere seconds later, we had arrived. Sam pulled up to the curb where the bridge had just ended. I got out of the car and slammed the door shut while my eyes darted around in search for either the woman or the child. There was a sudden gust of chilling wind. The idea of a child sleeping outside in this weather made me feel absolutely sick.

"There!" Sam yelled and pointed do my 3 o'clock. There was a young woman holding a small girl on the bank of the river. "Ma'am?"

The woman looked up at us and after seeing us broke into a mad dash to the left and away from the little blonde girl. I started after her but was stopped by Sam's arm. Instead, he took off after her while yelling, "I got her; you check the kid!" I spun around towards the girl. The scene before my eyes seemed to unfold in a very stagnant manner. The girl leaned over, reaching for god only know what fell into the water, then she was gone, enveloped in the water.

"Shit!" I yelled. My body instantaneously went into auto-pilot; I ran as fast as I could down what could easily pass as a hill towards the riverbank, I unclipped my radio from my vest then my hands angrily pulled at my utility belt. I tossed it to the side once it came undone. The girl was struggling to keep herself above the surface, and I pushed myself to run faster. With slightly quivering fingers, I then I ripped at my vest. I didn't know what it was like to swim with a bulletproof vest, but I did know even walking with it was more difficult. The rushing water and whipping wind would only make it more difficult. The addition of the vest would probably make it nearly impossible.

"Just keep paddling! Try to keep your head above the water," I screamed at the girl even though I doubted she could hear me. At this point, I running alongside the water, trying to get ahead of her.

The additional 3 pounds from the vest were suddenly gone, tossed to the ground, forgotten. I gained ground ahead of the girl who was still flailing. Not entirely thinking things through, I mindlessly threw myself into the icy cold water. When I broke through the surface to breathe, the wind made my eyelashes stick together in a half frozen state. I swam against the slight current towards the little girl.

"Help me!" she screamed while bobbing in the water, arms still waving around madly.

When she was finally within reach, I stuck my hand out and tried to grab hold of her arms with much difficulty, missing multiple times. Once I did have her arm, I pulled her close. Instantly, she threw herself onto me causing the both of us to go under briefly. I wrapped my right arm around her and used my left to pull us back to the surface.

"Just hold onto me as tight as you can, okay?" I instructed her after coughing out some water. Following a struggling swim to the edge of the river, I pushed her up onto the bank. As I pulled myself up onto dry land after her, I focused on the girl. She was breathing, albeit shivering and coughing up water, but she was alive and breathing which was the most important part.

"Are you okay?"

She coughed a little more and then nodded her head. "I'm so cold," she said in a quivering voice. She wrapped her small arms around her body.

"Okay, it's okay, sweetie. We'll get you somewhere warm." She nodded at me, but avoided my gaze. "What's your name?" I asked gently.

"Abby." Her blue eyes locked with mine. I nodded my head then let it drop with a sigh of exhaustion.

"McNally!" My head snapped up towards Sam who was running towards me and Abby at full speed. "What happened?"

Before he actually reached us I stopped him by yelling, "Go get the blanket from the car." He nodded without a word and bolted back towards the squad car. It was then that I noticed two more cars pulling up. I turned back to Abby. "My name's Andy, I'm a cop. We're going to get you some place nice and warm now, okay?" Abby nodded at me, and I nodded back. I got off my hands and knees and picked her up with a slight stumble; my body was more fatigued than I had originally thought. I started carrying her towards Sam who was returning with the blanket. He held the blanket open then I handed Abby over to him. Abby looked at Sam in a panic. "It's okay, Abby. This is my friend Sam; he's a cop too. He's going to carry you over to our car, then we'll get you some place safe. I promise." Abby whimpered slightly but nodded. With the blanket now wrapped tightly around her, she enclosed Sam's neck in her arms and buried her face in his shoulder.

"You okay?" Sam looked over at me with concern. I rested my arm on my hip and nodded, still struggling to get the normal cadence of my breath restored. "What happened?"

Before I could speak Abby's little voice piped up. "Lucy, my doll, fell into the water, and I thought I could reach her, and then I fell into the water, and it was so cold, but I don't really know how to swim. My mommy said I couldn't take lessons." Sam and I stared at Abby before looking at each other. I took a nice deep breath and continued walking side by side with Sam.

Then a thought occurred. "Did you get the woman?"

"Yeah, but she's not saying anything. She's not just some bystander though. I mean," Sam stopped his voice from escalating more than it already was and eyed the girl. He lowered his voice into a hiss. "You don't report an abandoned child then run off in a panic unless you're involved." I nodded in agreement.

Dov came walking up to us with my vest and belt in his arms. "These are yours I'm guessing," he said in a flat voice. I nodded and held my hands out for them. "It's okay. I got it. You alright?" Dov asked.

"I'm fine. I'm just really cold."

Dov offered to run and get another blanket, but I told him it was pointless. We were close enough for me to just suck it up. But I couldn't suppress a shiver when another gust of wind blew. Once we got to the street, Sam told Dov to take Abby to the ambulance that had just arrive. Dov handed me my belt and vest, gave a strong nod and took Abby in his arms. As they retreated I could hear the beginning of their conversation:

"My name's Abby."

"Nice to meet you Abby. My name is Dov."

"Like the birdie?" Abby asked in excitement.

I took it as a very good sign that she could be so excited after what just happened. My focus on Abby was cut short when I felt Sam put his arm behind my back and lead me towards another squad car. "Your lips are turning blue. You should probably go to the hospital with her," he said with worry in his eyes.

"Sam, I'm fine. I'm just cold. Once we get back to precinct and I warm up I'll be perfectly fine," I said while Sam opened the trunk of the car and pulled out another blanket. He shook his head as he took my vest and belt, set them both on the now closed trunk of the car, and turned back towards me. "No, you're going to the hospital. I'm not letting you go back to 15 without getting an okay from a doctor." He wrapped the blanket around me.

"Sam," I started.

"No, Andy. You're going." He started pushing me towards the ambulance. When we reached the vehicle, he told one of the paramedics that we had both fallen into the water and that we should both get a check up. I sent Sam an irritated glare and stepped into the ambulance. He smiled triumphantly at me.

"Have fun!" He helped the paramedics shut the doors, and then we were off to the hospital.

* * *

Ah! I didn't expect it to be this long. This was the best flow I've been in so far. Hurrah!

Funny thing: I had this story in my head for a while and I was at Starbucks with my dad today and we were sitting at a table then a cop came in. And I always feel so bad for them because I _**stare **_at them _**hardcore**_. All the time. I was like trying to figure out how they secure their vests (ie: velcro or clips), where the cord for the radio goes (ie: to the side of across the back), which is the taser and which is the gun. I literally kept turning to my dad and asked "Is that his baton? Is there where they put the clips? Because in Rookie Blue, they're horizontal not vertical. How heavy would his vest be?"

I guess it's a good thing I'm related to 4 cops/RCMP so he knows this stuff. And the fact he grew up in Detroit didn't hurt according to him. Hahaha!

Also, for any readers who have read chapter 2 of If Tomorrow Came (My other story) I wanted to say thank you. I've read the reviews I've gotten so far and I'm moved. I was really insecure with that chapter and you all have been nothing but absolutely kind! Love you all!

Anyways let me know what you thought.

**RxR  
MichaellaLoe**


	2. A New Game

Good day/morning/evening! I'm really genuinely excited for this. I've never really had 2 multi-chapter stories (And yes, as you can tell, this is a multi-chapter story) going at once. So this should be interesting! Quite the journey starting here.

**Sophia22**: Yessir! Thanks. I'm starting to notice that they're two completely different stories. Like, for this one I'm waiting for the next episode in hopes that some things with be revealed and explained. If Tomorrow Came is more blind. But I love writing them both. And yes. Yes I do stare at cops. It's kinda fun too. You should try it! Hahaha! Thanks for reviewing!

**hannah-jennifer: **Yes, as you can tell. There's more of a story to unfold. Hope you like it and thanks for the vote of confidence.

**Cythera. of. Naxen**: Hahah! Thank you. I figured that it's hazing, and at the end of the day, cops _are _humans. They like hazing people too, I'm sure. Thanks for the review.

**JTF2**: Coming right up! Thanks for reviewing (And asking very nicely. With two smiley faces. Loved it!)

And thank you to: **flirtt., samcamstargate1, nightfog, Klewis5, . x .imagine. x ., RookieGinge**, **Darkwing333, and Ihcf**. Also thank you to everyone who alerted/favorited. It makes me feel all fuzzy inside!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue**

* * *

No one really liked hospitals. But that would never stop me from telling anyone directly that I personally hate hospitals. I especially hated being at hospitals when I didn't need to be. And right now, I really didn't need to be. I got up off the uncomfortable and somewhat scratchy bed and slowly approached the door. When I peeked around the corner to the right, I saw that there were a few doctors casually walking around.

"Can I help you, miss?" an annoying voice asked.

My head snapped to the other direction to find a fairly grouchy looking nurse. She was thin and willowy but had quite a glare in her eye that was working its magic on me quite well. I shook my head, cowering away from her, muttered a 'no,' and quickly returned to my bed. I watched her walk past the open door, and then I waited. After a few seconds of sitting there, I shot back up and returned to the door. Just down the hall was a main desk. When I got to the desk I asked the man, "Uhm, look, I've got a case to work on. I was wondering if I was clear to go now?"

The man paused his extraordinarily loud typing and looked up at me with next to zero interest. "You'll have to wait for your doctor to tell you." With that, he returned to his computer and resumed typing furiously. I groaned in exasperation.

"Andy! How are you?"

When I looked to my left, I was surprised to see Luke at the hospital. "Luke! I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine, but what? What are you doing here?" Luke walked closer to me with a stern look on his face.

"Trying to get the survivor of a shooting to talk. Thought I'd check up on you." My face fell slightly. I knew it would be foolish to believe that he'd be at the hospital for the sole purpose of checking up on me._ 'Maybe if I were shot it would happen,' _I pondered. Maybe if I ever actually_ had_ to be in a hospital he'd visit. When I thought about it, jumping in cold water was not a cause for visitation... from anyone really.

"I heard what you did. You saved that girl's life," he said sincerely with a smile.

I smiled back at him, shrugged and replied, "Yeah, well.. it's my job."

Luke let out a small laugh. "And you do it well." His blue eyes pierced mine as we stood in silence.

"Hey, McNally!"

Luke and I both turned to see Sam coming down the hall. Luke turned back to me and said, "I should go talk to my witness. I'll check up on you later." I nodded happily, but I knew there was a fair chance it was an empty promise. Sam shot Luke a short glare as they passed each other. When Sam approached me, he stood there and crossed his arms indifferently.

"How are you feeling?"

I shrugged again and said, "I already told you I didn't need to go to a hospital."

He grinned and uncrossed his arms. "Well, we'll let the doctor be the judge of that."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him. I walked back to my room, pretending to ignore his very presence as I passed him even though I was acutely aware of his footsteps following after mine. I sat down on the edge of the bed and watched him as he leaned against the wall opposite from me. He raised an eyebrow at me when I didn't say anything.

"Are y-"

"Have y-"

We spoke at the same time. I looked away for a brief moment, pretty sure I was blushing slightly.

"You go," he said with a smile.

I sighed and tried to take my focus from his thoroughly distracting smile and back on what I was originally going to ask him. "Have you found out anything about the girl? She's okay, right? Nothing happened to her?"

Sam pulled the way from the wall and stepped closer to me. "She's fine. The doctor said she had mild hypothermia, but they warmed her up, put her in some dry clothes and she's doing good. If anything you were in a worse condition. That's actually why I came here," he paused.

"Because I'm worse?" I asked in confusion. '_Oh my god... I'm dying?_'

Sam scoffed and shot me an ever-so-slightly condescending look. "No, because I thought it would be best if you talked to her. She seems most comfortable with you. And Dov went back to the station."

"_That's_ why you came here?"

"Yeah. What? You thought that I'd come here to make sure you weren't dying of pneumonia or some deadly sickness?"

I looked away guiltily. "I mean...well, it would have been...," I started. When I realized how stupid I was starting to sound, I forced a fake - and rather awkward - scoff. "_No_."

Sam nodded with a mocking smile. "The doctor already told me that you were responding fine and ready to leave, by the way. Ollie's on his way to pick her up. I just thought we should get some general information from her while we wait. That is if you're feeling healthy enough to do so? The last thing I want to do is worsen your very critical condition," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Shut up. Let's go."

* * *

Sam lead his way to the girl's room which wasn't far from mine. As we stood at the door of Abby's room, I looked in to see her sitting alone, smiling down at a small stuffed bear in her hands. I looked at Sam in confusion. "Hey, she was scared. Besides, those hospital gift shops are cheap," he explained. I looked at him skeptically; from what I could recall, hospital gift shops were complete rip offs.

"Well... they're cheap when you pull out a badge."

I let out a small laugh and shook my head at him. I walked in and sat myself down beside Abby.

"His name is Sammy! I named him after you!" she said and pointed to Sam. I looked over at Sam to see him beaming back at Abby, satisfied with the happiness the small bear brought her. I scooted a little closer to the girl and thought about what to say.

"_Remember, she's under no obligation to answer any questions, so don't push your luck. Be nice. Ask the important questions first._" That was one of the many pieces of great advice from Sam. Sure, it's a little different when you're talking to a child, but you never know what could happen when they're backed into a corner.

"He's very handsome." I paused and sent a provocative look to Sam. He grinned back knowingly. Why I was willingly boosting his ego was something way beyond me. I turned back to Abby and said, "Can you tell me something, Abby?" She nodded eagerly and curiously with wide eyes. "What were you doing in the park?" Abby looked away from me and instead towards the bear purple. She picked it up and started making it walk around the bed.

"We always go to the park. We play there. And we got to play a new game. I was supposed to close my eyes and wait. She said she would come get me once it was safe."

Sam and I looked at each other with worry in our eyes. Abby, however, was completely content, innocently making the bear walk up my arm.

"Abby, who is 'she'?"

Abby looked up at me seriously, "She made me pinky promise I wouldn't tell. And you can't break a pinky promise. I even 'cross my heart, and hope to die, I'll stick a thousand needles in my eye' promised." I nodded sadly, fully aware that she was, at least for the mean time, intending on keeping her promise.

The silence was broken by Oliver's gentle rapping at the door. He took a slow, cautionary step inside the room. "Hey, Sammy. McNally, how you feeling?"

"I'm fine, thanks."

Sam walked to the bedside and put a hand lovingly on Abby's head. "Abby, this is my friend Oliver."

Abby smiled sweetly at him and waved a hand. "Hi, Oliver. I'm Abby." Oliver entered the room and placed himself on the other side of the bed. He bent down, bringing himself more to her level, and replied, "Hi there, Abby. That's a nice bear you've got."

She beamed at Oliver. "I named it Sammy. He got it for me," she pointed at Sam again.

"Ollie, can you take Abby down to the station? I'm going to take McNally to her place so she can get some new clothes."

Oliver shook his head in agreement, picked Abby up off the bed, and set her back on the ground. He extended his hand to her which she wrapped her small hand as best as she could around his with excitement. "Do you guys have coffee? And- and donuts?" She inquired honestly.

Sam, Oliver and I broke out into a fit of laughter. Oliver started walking her towards the door and replied, "Well, we can get some." Their conversation revolving around sprinkles and glaze continued as Abby and Oliver left the room. Once they were gone, I stood up off the bed and looked at Sam. I opened my mouth to speak but Sam cut me off.

"Let's go, McNally!" he said as he pulled out his keys. He started towards the door with me in his wake.

Feebly, I said, "You know, I don't _need_ new clothes."

Sam stopped in the threshold of the door and turned towards me. He leaned closer and said slowly, "No offense, but I'm quite sick of seeing you in a hospital gown. Doesn't really show off your silhouette."

After winking, he turned back around and marched off leaving me in a state of complete shock and embarrassment.

* * *

I'm starting to make comparisons between this and If Tomorrow Came, and God is this one happier. Plus I get to write flirtation! Hurrah! If you haven't read If Tomorrow Came yet, personally, I think you should... Just saying.

I really, truly, sincerely from the bottom of my heart you are enjoying this so far. I really do love writing and dedicating my time to something. Especially something that other people can enjoy. Yay! Let me know what you think.

**RxR  
MichaellaLoe**


	3. Predicament

Hello!

I hope you all are enjoying this story so far. I quite enjoy writing it. Fun fact, longest chapter! Woo! It's actually the longest chapter of both my Rookie Blue stories so far. Craz-eh. That's really all I have to say except...

Thank you to: **x. imagine. x., hannah-jennifer, Cythera. of. Naxen, flirtt., tony8717, Taylor-Cullen-Black-Swan, RookieGinge, nightfog, and Hope06.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it. Simple as that.**

* * *

Sam pulled the car up to my apartment and put it in park. As I unbuckled my seat belt, I turned to him and said, "I'll just go grab some stuff and I'll be right back." He nodded inattentively. Slightly confused, I opened the door and hopped out. I walked towards the door but paused when I heard the car door shut behind me. Sam walked around the front of the car and up to me. He then stood perfectly still, waiting for me to open the door.

"I said I'd be right back."

He smiled at me like he knew the world's biggest secret and shrugged. I shook my head and proceeded to unlock the front door. I stepped in, and Sam didn't hesitate to follow. He began examining the room and everything that was in sight. "This is a nice place you've got. The fresh scent of au de cardboard box. The cozy feeling of bubble wrap," he joked.

"Hey! I'm just moving in. Give me a break. At least you don't see me in a ratty, smelly shack with one plant and an audiotape of Moby Dick," I countered with a smug smile as I headed towards my what-would-be bedroom. He put down a picture frame, setting it back in the open box he had gotten it from, and spun towards me.

"Hey, now. I was undercover. Everything changes when you're undercover," he defensively yelled back at me.

I rolled my eyes, not really caring for his argument. I walked into my room, shouted a brief "I'll just be a minute. And stop touching my stuff!", and then closed the door. I quickly threw on a pair of jeans without a thought. It was finding a shirt that would prove to be somewhat of a challenge. '_Come on, McNally! No one cares what you wear. _Sam_ doesn't care what you wear. For God's sake, he has to see you in that bloody uniform! That very unflattering uniform..._' Typically I didn't care too much about my clothing unless I was going out. But something about the fact that Sam was waiting just beyond my bedroom door for me seemed to be the exception to that statement.

"You really do take this long trying to figure out what to wear, don't you?" Sam yelled.

I growled in frustration. '_There's really no winning in this predicament, is there?_' I shuffled through my drawer of shirts and made a snap decision, pulling out an emerald green t-shirt. My mind flashed back to the previous conversation Sam had just referred to, and I tossed it aside heatedly. I instead grabbed a navy shirt and threw it on as fast as possible. I ripped the door open to reveal a more than pleased with himself Sam. He overtly eyed me, taking in my appearance. I felt a nervous sweat start at his eyes wandered over my body.

He shrugged halfheartedly and said a dismissive, "Not too bad."

I recovered quickly and shot back, "Uh-huh, because I need your approval, right? Besides, not your type anyway, remember?" I gave him a winsome smile as I passed him.

His response was merely a slight laugh. "Yeah... yeah."

Before I could really analyze his reply, he suggested we get going. "Right," I said as I went for my keys. I patted the pockets of my jeans, but realized after doing so that they obviously wouldn't be there. I walked back to the door frame of my room and peered in. After doing a quick scan, I turned back towards the front door. I went up to the row of boxes and checked, thinking maybe for some absurd reason I had put them there. I grumbled, completely vexed.

I whirled around to face Sam. "Where the hell did I-"

Sam dangled the keys in the air, grinning like a madman. I forced myself to resist yelling at him and instead settled with stomping up to him, nearly nose to nose, yanking the keys from his hand, and saying, "Thank you," in the most sour voice I could muster. The most sour voice I could muster was pathetic though because deep down, I had the slightest urge to laugh.

Sam opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off. "No really, thank you. We should do this more often."

We both started walking towards the door when he said, very nonchalantly, "All you had to do was ask."

I groaned again in frustration and turned to him. "Are you just out to get me today?"

"We discussed this, McNally. Just doing my job." I narrowed my eyes at him and pointed out the door. He smiled at me and walked out of the room, heading back to the car. '_Most. Infuriating. Man. Ever._'

The drive to the station consisted of nothing but bickering. Bickering and empty glares.

"That's what you said."

"That is _not_ what I said!"

I scoffed as I followed after Sam. "Yes, it was. And what about that fake warrant? Is that part of your job too? To nearly get me killed and make a bad arrest?"

Sam half turned around, still keeping his pace, as he replied, "No, it wasn't. And no, that isn't part of my job - that's the exact opposite of my job. And you wouldn't have been killed, McNally. I only did it because I knew that was the only way to get you in there. And it had to be you because she wouldn't come with me, Miss Protocol."

I scoffed again at him. "This coming from the man who laughs in the face of rules."

He slowed as we approached Dov and raise a defiant hand in the air. "Hey, only certain rules."

I shook my head in doubt then said to Dov, "So do we know who she is yet?"

Dov whipped around in surprise then replied, "Whoa! Hi. Uh, no. Abby hasn't really told us anything valuable except her age. However, we now know her favorite kind of donuts are boston cremes, her favorite food is spaghetti and meatballs, and she wants a dog named 'Spot.'" Dov raised a finger for every fact he had learnt. I smiled, a slight laugh breaking through. Sam walked up to the desk and examined the files sprawled across it.

"What about the woman? Any idea who she is yet?"

Dov raised his hands in an 'I don't know' manner. "Shaw just started questioning her a minute ago." Sam nodded and matched off to the interviewing rooms. I glanced at Dov then followed after Sam. With Dov right on my heels, I stopped Sam before he entered the room.

"Sir, I want to he-"

Sam raised his hand to cut me off. "No. You and Epstein can watch." I frowned at Sam in disappointment and reluctance. All of us rookies had been rookies for a while now, and I didn't quite understand why we couldn't participate in the interrogation. Before I could contend, he soundlessly slipped into the interrogation room and shut the door. I faced Dov who wore a slightly broken expression on his face. He shrugged in resignation and headed towards the observation room.

And so we stood there, watching our training officers do the job while we sat there doing absolutely nothing. It was like we were children again, and I hated that feeling.

Oliver was sitting in the chair across from the woman looking very stressed. Sam, unlike Oliver, was circling around the table trying to intimidate her. I watched in slight amazement; I would never be able to sit still and say nothing through an interrogation with Sam. As he continued circling, no one said anything. Not Oliver, not Sam, not the woman.

"Let's try this again, shall we? Name," Oliver said sternly.

The woman fidgeted but kept quiet.

Sam's patience was growing weary, and he slapped his hand on the table causing everyone, including me and Dov, to flinch. "Name!"

A sob ripped from the woman's throat.

Sam walked over to one of the corners of the small room and peered at her maliciously. Dov and I looked at each other, sharing a mutual expression of concern. I swallowed nervously.

Oliver took a different approach. "Look, we want to help you. But we can't help you unless-"

The woman jumped away from Oliver's extended hand. After witnessing her reaction, Oliver pulled his hand back quickly. Sam walked over to the woman and bent next to her, about to speak.

"Get the hell away from me! Get away from me!" she screeched. She shoved Sam away as best as she could and stumbled out of her chair, pressing her back against the opposing wall. A look of perplexity was written on both Oliver's and Sam's faces. The only noise that fell on our ears were the woman's ragged breaths, and it was in that silence that an idea came to me.

I hurried out of the observation room, leaving behind a confused Dov, and opened the door to the interview room. "Officer Swarek, can I speak to you for a minute."

He made no effort to hide his expression of anger - he was _clearly_ pissed. After the door shut, it only took Sam a second to bellow, "Damn it, McNally! What is it?"

"I think I know why she's not talking," I said collectedly.

He smiled sneeringly at me. "She's not talking because she's being stubborn, McNally."

I ignored his snide comments and continued, "I think I should do the interrogation."

Sam let out a sharp laugh and turned away, clearing his thoughts. He turned back to me and said, "We do not have time for this, okay? We need to find out who this woman is."

"I think it's because you're guys. I think she has a problem with men or some kind of fear. I don't know." Sam sighed tiredly. He was probably fed up with my reasoning. Nevertheless, I continued. "But did you see the way she flinched away from Oliver. He didn't do anything, he didn't come on strongly, he didn't say anything harsh. There's something up, I know it." I watched him have a lengthy internal debate on whether or not to believe me.

After pinching the bridge of his nose, he agreed. "Alright, fine. You get a few minutes. If she doesn't say anything, we're pulling you out of there."

I hide my relief and nodded professionally. "Of course."

Sam reopened the door and barely stepped in. "Officer Shaw, Officer McNally is going to take it from here." Oliver stood up numbly and exited the room without a word. The door shut with a 'click' after Sam gave me a look of warning. I remained standing in the same spot, reflecting her movements; we observed each other, unmoving.

"What's your name?" I asked gently.

The woman said nothing; she merely shook her head at me. I groaned internally then took a step closer to her.

"What's your name? It's just me - no one is going to hurt you."

In my mind I could hear Oliver asking Sam what the hell I was doing. _'I wish I knew..._' I continued taking steps towards her as slowly as I physically could. "Did someone hurt you?" Tears started streaming down her face as she bit her quivering lip. The bright fluorescent lights hanging above us made her eyes look sunken, creating a helpless, distraught image.

"I need you to talk to me, okay? I can help you. Just-... please."

She continued sobbing and sniffling until she blurted, "He said he would kill me!" Instantly, a million different thoughts started firing through my brain.

"Who? Who said he would kill you?"

"_He_ did!" She sunk down into a ball against the wall and began weeping endlessly. I was paralyzed, unsure of what movements to make. I stared blankly at the mirror as if in search of someone else's eyes. My gaze returned to the woman who was trying to pick herself up off the ground.

"Amy Fairchild."

"What?" I asked, thrown off guard.

"My name. Amy Fairchild. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't want to. I just- it wasn't-... I had no choice!" She started sobbing again. I closed the distance between us and put an arm behind her back to lead her to one of the chairs. She willingly sat down and buried her face in her hands. I sat down in the other chair and waited for her to regain composure. She wiped her nose while gasping for air.

"Uhm... A while ago I started seeing this guy." She stopped for a moment to wipe the water off her tear-stained face. "And recently things have just started getting, you know, out of hand." She began fidgeting with her hands.

My mind wandered off to the worse. "Did he do anything to you? Did he hurt you?"

She smothered a sob then replied, "He's not like that usually. It's just because I found his book. And I was going to come to the police as soon as I found it, but he caught me. I didn't think it was real - I thought it was some sick joke. He's just not like that, you know?"

"Who? Who's not like what? What was in his book?" I was getting slightly frustrated. She had been doing nothing but leaving me with more unanswered questions.

"He said he'd kill me. I was scared he really would after seeing that book. I wanted to get her somewhere. I didn't want her involved with me. That's why I left her there. I didn't want to. I didn't know what to do," Amy wailed. I looked past her and focused on the mirror again. I could see my reflection - a panicked, confused, sorrowful Andy McNally. But I could still feel everyone else's eyes boring into mine behind the glass. I looked back to Amy.

"Abby? You left Abby in the park because you didn't want her to get hurt. Amy, who did you think was going to hurt her?"

"He w-" she trailed off, shoving her face back in her hands and sobbed harder.

I leaned forward. I really needed her to talk, and we were wasting time. My voice became more authoritative. "Amy, I need you to talk to me, okay? Listen, we've got Abby. She's safe, she's perfectly fine, but I think she's a little confused. And we are too. So we need you, _I_ need you, to tell me what you know. It's the only way we can get to the bottom of this and keep you and Abby safe."

Amy calmed herself down and wiped her face with the sleeve of her surely dampened, pink longsleeved shirt. After taking a few breaths she said, "Like said, I found his book. It was a scrapbook. I found it when I was just cleaning up, you know? It was a whole bunch of women and they were- oh god..." She broke off, fighting more tears.

"Who, Amy? Who is this guy? I need to know."

"Tanner Lloyd." She stared down at her folded hands on the table. I sighed in relief. "He said I was next."

I raised a hand, trying to calm her down, and reached out to her. "Okay, it's okay. We're not going to let tha-"

The door swung open to reveal an anxious Sam. "McNally, I need to talk to you."

"But I'm-" I said with a frown, but he cut me off.

"Now." The amount of force in his voice sent a slight wave of fear through me. I stood up out of my chair without saying a word and left the interrogation room. As soon as the door closed I snapped at him. "What the hell? She's finally talking to me. You said if she _didn't_ say-"

"It's not that." I stared at him with impatience. I was on a roll, and I was not impressed with the fact he was breaking that roll. I nodded at him, waiting for him to continue. He watched an officer pass by, waiting for him to be a safe distance away, until he finally said, "I think we just opened 4 cold case murders."

* * *

Oh snap!

Sooo yes. If Tomorrow Came has hit a slow patch. I'm struggling just a wee bit but the next chapter should be up soon as well. Let me know what you all think. And I really hope you enjoyed reading!

**RxR  
MichaellaLoe**


	4. TL

Hola!

I have to admit, I'm probably the most proud of this chapter out of all the ones I've written to far (Including the chapters in If Tomorrow Came). I'm not exactly 100% sure why. I think it's the dialogue. Maybe. Or maybe I just enjoy writing arguing scenes... Not that anyone argues. Why would anyone argue?...

Warning: Nice F-word in there, there's a fair amount of language in this chapter. Hence T rating.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! You are awesome.

**Disclaimer: Do not own Rookie Blue.**

* * *

"Whoa, whoa. Hey, wait a minute." I gripped Sam's arm tightly, nails nearly digging into his skin. "What do you mean we just opened 4 cold cases? Sam, what?"

Sam's eyes bore into mine so eerily that it caused me to freeze in place. He wrenched his arm out of my hand. My arm dropped to my side as he continued to stare at me in silence. His expression was impossible to convey. He jerked his head, telling me to follow, and he heatedly marched off. I rushed after him while debating whether to ask him again what was going on. I figured it was best to keep my mouth shut.

Until we started approaching Luke's office.

"Sam, what? What are we doing here?" The fact Sam Swarek was willingly entering Luke Callaghan's office, especially with me in tow, was enough in itself to cause a certain degree of fear. Sam didn't respond to me. He barely even had the courtesy to knock before he swung the door open to reveal a semi-shocked Luke. An instant unease and tense awkwardness thickly filled the air. My eyes darted from Sam to Luke then back to Sam. They stared levelly at each other.

"Swarek."

"Callaghan."

I took a small step backwards wishing I could bolt from the room. I bit my lip while watching them both as they continued their stare down. And I had absolutely no idea who was winning.

"Mind if I ask what made you charge into my office completely unannounced?" Luke asked. He kept his voice precise, completely professional, never letting a single ounce of true emotion taint it.

Sam grinned, and I prepared myself for a witty comeback that was bound to make this situation worse. "Can't friends just visit?" The only thing that could stop a serious Sam streak was a sarcastic Sam moment - this was one of them. I groaned in growing misery.

Luke raised an irked eyebrow at Sam. Luke stood from his chair and strolled over to Sam and me after dropping the folder in his hands on his desk. He crossed his arms and sighed irritatedly. "Look Swarek, I'm busy at the moment. I've got a lot of work to do, so unless you have something to talk to me about a case, then-"

"I do."

Luke watched Sam carefully in search for the inklings of a lie. I bit down on my lip harder, waiting for one of them to break the silence. "What is it?" Luke finally inquired and shot a look at me. I stepped back again while waving my arms around like a confused imbecile, which is what I basically was at the moment.

_'Maybe it's not too late to run...?_' The urge to hide was instantly relieved when Sam said, "T.L."

"_What?_" Luke took a threatening step towards both Sam and me. I noted the flash of pure rage in Luke's eyes that dissipated as fast as it came. I had never seen Luke so angry. _'Hell, I've never seen Luke with such pure emotion of any kind._' "Don't speak of him." Luke eyes fluttered towards me once again.

"_The case we're opening_," Sam clarified. "The kid the in the park. The woman who tried to make a break for it. Dating a man who threatened to kill her. His name is Tanner Lloyd. _T.L._," Sam said in a tone that sounded as if it was supposed to trigger some kind of flashbulb memory. "Remember him-"

Luke took another step forward. This time he shoved his face in Sam's. "_Of course_ I remember that bastard."

This was very bad blood, and I stood there, watching in horror. The, what I thought was, quiet clearing of my throat cut the silence like a knife. Both Luke's and Sam's attention snapped to me. It was very displeasing, and I recoiled, subtly staggering backwards. "I-...Sorry...," I trailed off.

"Don't talk about him. Not here."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. '_"Not here"... what is that supposed to mean?_' My suspicions were confirmed when Luke's eyes drifted to me for a third time then back to Sam. And I was sure that very movement was something Sam noticed as well.

"'Not here?' Why not? I think that here would be a superb place to talk abou-"

"Don't you dare, Swarek," Luke snapped, pointing a finger at Sam. With my lips slammed together, I stared up at the ceiling almost as if I didn't want to witness what was occurring before my very eyes. Sam pushed Luke's hand out of the way and inched closer to Luke with an equal amount of anger. '_Oh dear god..._'

"He's involved."

"I don't care."

My patience, now having stretched as far as possible, snapped like a rubber band and I blurted, "What the hell is going on? What's wrong with you two?"

Their eyes settled on me, having half forgotten my existence.

"Andy, I think you should step ou-" Luke started.

"No," Sam said firmly. I stared at the two of them again as they glared at each other with something very similar to hatred.

"No? Swarek, this isn't something she needs to know about."

Sam let out a sour laugh. "Considering she's the one who interrogated the woman and got her talking - yes, I think this is something she needs to know about. Without her we shouldn't even have the girl's damn name!"

"She's right here," I muttered. When they both turned to look at me again, I internally scolded myself. _'I _need_ to have better restraint!_'

"I don't care," Luke said.

Sam laughed bitterly again. "Of course you don't. Look, Callaghan. She's already involved. And if you think that something's going to happen to her or something-"

"That is not what I'm worried about."

I still had no idea what the hell was going on, and it was really, _really_ starting to piss me off. "Okay! Enough! This is stupid! What the fuck is going on?"

Luke opened his mouth to speak but Sam caught him off. "The woman in interrogation says her boyfriend, Tanner Lloyd, AKA TL, has a scrapbook. Probably a photo memoir. I thought I should let you know, so you should pull up all the past cases. This may be the break we've been waiting for, but don't get your hopes up," Sam said. It took me a moment to realize he was talking to Luke which left me remaining in my state of confusion.

Luke scoffed. "We?"

Sam gave Luke an icy glare, one that I swore could kill, then whirled around towards me. "Let's go, McNally." Sam began to head out the door as I stood there, baffled. I frowned at Luke. I wondered if I should stay put where I was for a short lived moment and then I wisely followed after Sam. I caught up with him after a slight struggle.

We walked side by side back towards the interrogation rooms in silence until I grabbed my arm to stop him. "Sam, please. What the hell is going on? Please."

Sam signaled me to follow him. Obediently and bothered, I did so. He opened the door to the observation room then said, "Oliver, take Epstein and pull up everything you can on Tanner Lloyd. He's in our system. Check if there's been any new charges recently." Oliver nodded and exited the room with Dov behind him. Once they left, Sam closed the door only to lean against it.

"Sam-"

"There have been 4 cases of ours. A bunch of women got brutally murdered. The scenes were always analyzed meticulously, but we never found any evidence. We always had a few suspects with a few motives, but it was all circumstantial and not nearly enough to make an arrest. Only once did we actually get it to court, but we didn't get very far in court. Every time, a man named Tanner Lloyd was a suspect. For all four murders, he was related somehow. Everyone could tell he was related - we just had no proof of how. He was committing the perfect murders."

I let what Sam had just said sink in gradually. Though I was still fairly confused by the narrowly escaped bloodshed in Luke's office.

"One of the murders hit close to home, and that's all I'm really going to say. Now..." Sam walked up to me and put his hands around my upperarms. While staring me directly into the eye he said, "I need you to find out what's in that scrapbook. If it is what I think it is, it could be the biggest piece of evidence against him."

With hesitance, I shrugged. "Can't you do it?" I asked in a small voice. I didn't want to be the stupid rookie who blew the biggest shot at getting a serial killer.

"You were the one who said she has a fear of men. I need you to do this, McNally. I know you can do it. Do _you_ think you can do it?"

_No._

"Yes, maybe." My eyes darted around. Sam's right hand moved from my arm to my shoulder. His eyes locked with mine, and then I knew my final answer. "Yes."

* * *

"Amy, I need you to tell me what was in that scrapbook."

Amy shook her head causing her dirty blonde curls to bounce in the air for the millionth time. She laced her fingers together on the table and eyed them down endlessly. I rustled in my seat to get comfortable. _'This is going to take forever if it hasn't already._' I leaned forward and continued. "You said that there were photos of women. Amy, were those women... dead?"

Tears instantly poured from Amy's eyes. I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my hand over my face tiredly. This day was proving to be very long, stressful, difficult and just short of absolutely terrible.

"Amy, I know this is hard, but I need you to tell me this. If he did something, we can get him for it, and you'll be safe. So I need you to do this for me. Can you remember anything of what you saw?"

The seeds of anxiety were starting to grow in Amy as I watched her rub her hands together, then on her jeans, then run through her hair. I twitched from simply observing the whole thing. She was muttering to herself, debating.

Her gaze snapped from the table to me, and with the remnants of tears in her eyes she said, "Only if you promise me something." Not wanting to agree just yet, I continued watching her.

"Don't let anything happen to Abby, please. Please! I'm begging of you! If anything happened to her I- I- I could never live with myself. I left her there for a reason. It was for the best, I swear."

I remembered Noelle telling me to stop making promises, but as I stared into Amy's eyes I could help but nod in agreement.

"Okay," she squeaked. "There were a whole bunch of photos of different women. And they were all so... You know how you can just tell someone's dead by the horrible positions of their body? They were in such unnatural positions and there was so much blood and-" Amy started crying again.

"And you found this scrapbook in Tanner's house?"

Amy wiped her tears with the back of her hand while nodding. "In his apartment. And he said I was next! He's a murderer!"

"No. We're not going to let that happen, okay? You're going to be just fine. We're just going to start with what you've given us. You're going to be safe."

The interrogation door opened to reveal Oliver who peeked into the room. "McNally? Luke's office - Swarek wants you." '_I wish...'_ I suppressed the thoughts that surrounded my training officers, at least in _that_ way. I waited for Oliver to say something more, not saying anything. "I can take it from here," he said hesitantly, almost as if it was a question. He was probably confused by my reaction - or lack thereof.

"Amy, this is my friend Oliver Shaw. I promise you, he is not going to hurt you in any way, okay? Tell him exactly what you told me. He's going to tell you what's going on and where you'll be going okay?"

I stood up and walked up to Oliver. "If she loses it you can call me," I whispered to him.

We passed each other and went our separate ways. My mind instantly filled with numerous scenarios as I started making my way towards Luke's office. I wondered what Sam wanted me there for. Part of me didn't even want to go there. Luke's office with Sam Swarek was something I never wanted to experience. Twice in one day was taking it much too far.

Eventually I found myself staring down the hallway. It was like the closed door was silently taunting me. I bounced anxiously then took a deep breath. _'Just go in there, McNally. Come on._'

With a new surge of willpower going through me, I advanced towards the door with determination. When only a few steps were between the door and myself, it flew open, and Sam came charging out, passing me. I half peeked into the room, but I couldn't see Luke. I made a snap decision and followed after Sam quickly before Luke had a chance to actually spot me.

I found Sam standing in the of the squad room, hands clenching the sides of his head with utter frustration and rage.

"Sam," I called. He didn't respond, so I cautiously stepped closer. "What happened?" As the words slipped past my lips, I suddenly because aware of exactly how dangerous the water I was treading truly was. Sam hated Luke. Luke wouldn't act upon it or upfront say it, but he hated Sam. I was stuck in the middle. To top it off, a huge case that we were all part of was surrounding us.

Sam suddenly turned towards me and said through clenched teeth, "You need to tell your detective boyfriend to get over his personal issues."

"He's not my boyfriend." '_Pathetic._' Though technically speaking, nothing was official yet. Then again, did it really matter at the moment?

Sam smiled his spiteful smile. "Okay then. _Colleague with benefits_."

My face fell slightly, and I decided to take a different approach to the chaos that was slowly but surely breaking loose. "What happened?" My voice was sharper than I wanted it to be.

The sarcasm on his face faded and he turned serious. He stepped closer, putting his face closer to mine, so close that it made me almost squirm. "I'm leaving that up to your boyfriend to tell you. It's not my place."

"Damn it, Sam." There was a heavy amount of disappointment in my voice.

He reached out and started steering me by the shoulders towards one of the computers. With his right hand, he pulled out the chair then sat me down in it. After forcing the chair closer to the desk with ease, he bent down and placed his face by my left shoulder. "Right up your report. You can talk to Luke about it later."

"Or you could just tell me." I turned to him with an accusing expression causing him to grin like a child.

"Nope. I'm good."

He contentedly walked off leaving me alone at the computer. The rest of the day, my mind spun with scenarios and questions and theories. '_Personal issues. What could that mean? What's so personal? And better yet, why hasn't Luke said anything to me about it yet?_' I, with no surprise, found myself coming to him about this issue. I hovered at the open door into his office. His face was buried in an open case file. His room itself looked like it was built from papers and photos of crimes. But now, it wasn't just that the numbers of files were high, papers were scattered everywhere along with photos. It was like in the heat of a tantrum, he grabbed as many files as he could and threw them all over. It was very unlike Luke. It worried me.

"Hey," I said as I gentle tapped on the door. When he didn't look up, I repeated myself. "_Hey_."

He raised his head with a glare in his eye. He looked me up and down then said, "You're going to the Black Penny?"

"Yeah, with Traci. She's just finishing up, and I wanted to check on you," I said with a nod. Silence. He looked down at the file again while I continued fiddling with my hands. "Well, I _really_ wanted to ask you what's going on." I could help but notice how nervous I sounded. Still, he continued reading the file.

"_Luke_! What is going on? First you and Sam nearly kill each other over some random name then Sam tells me you need to control your personal problems-"

Luke stood from his desk and slammed his hands against the top in one fluid movement. "You don't listen to a word Swarek says!"

My jaw dropped open. "What?" I half yelled.

"Sammy's just being the bastard that he is!"

"Luke!"

"Are you defending him?"

Admittedly, I could feel myself getting defensive, but with right. At least... I thought so. I had never seen Luke out of control, so I had no idea what to expect. "He's my training officer. He's my _partner_. Obviously-"

"Is that all he is, Andy? Just your training officer?"

My arms, which had been flailing around slightly in the heat of our argument, dropped to my side. I sighed with exhaustion. It was not the first time Luke had questioned my relationship with Sam. He was definitely not the first _person _to question my relationship with Sam. At the moment though, my relationship with Sam was not what I cared about. It wasn't what he should care about.

"What is wrong with you?" I asked sadly.

He sat back down and watched me. "What do you want me to say, Andy?"

"You could try the truth."

He shook his head with a bitter laugh. "You want me to tell you that I hate your training officer with a passion. That every time he looks at you, I want to beat him to-"

"Not about that. Not about Sam, Luke. _This_ isn't about Sam. _None of this_ is about Sam. Why don't you get that? You're going insane right now and I can't handle it. I have to stand here and watch you self-destruct and destroy yourself, and I can't do anything about it. You won't let me. _Why_ won't you talk to me?"

"Because this doesn't involve you."

"Yeah, you tried that before. It didn't work. TL. Who is he? Who is he to you?"

He ran his hands over his face tiredly. "Andy...please."

In a sudden wave of frustration, I marched up to his desk and grabbed one of his files. As my eyes quickly scanned over the papers, one name struck a bell.

"Andy!" He jumped up and ripped the papers out of my hands. "Get out!"

"Luke!"

"Just get out!" he yelled as he pointed towards the door with one hand on his hip.

"Fine." I stalked out of the room and went to the women's locker room to find Traci. There was too much anger boiling in my blood to cry. So for the rest of the night, I faked contentment and suppressed my anger. I entered the Black Penny with Traci. We instantly spotted Dov and Chris sitting together at a table and joined them. Within minutes, we were all drinking and listening to Dov tell his daring adventure of the day.

"It's like you never realize how important this job is until you're saving a child's life," Dov said sincerely.

"Yeah. Says the man who carried a child to the ambulance," Traci threw in accusingly. Chris and I laughed at her remark.

"I also rode to the hospital with her. And I showed her into her room."

Chris turned to me and said, "Yeah, Andy. I heard about what you did today, and it's amazing." I smiled at him but found my eyes drifting towards the bar. I forced my gaze to return to Chris again and said thank you.

"I have to agree with him though, McNally. I must say that diving into a river was pretty kamikaze." Dov raised his glass in the air followed by Traci and Chris.

"It must have been a long day. Did you interrogate the woman brought in? This may be one of the biggest things at 15 in a while. Opening 4 cold cases. Why does all the interesting stuff happen to you?" Dov complained.

I glanced back over to the bar again. Sam was having a small chatter with Jerry but mainly he appeared to be focusing on his drink. "Yeah, it's been a long day. I'm just-, I'm gonna be right back." I stood up from my chair, drink in hand, and walked over to the bar. I slowly approached the empty bar stool beside Sam and sat down. He never took his eyes from his drink.

"Sir."

He looked up at me then grinned. "McNally." I smiled back at him and asked the bartender for another drink. "It's been a long day for you, huh?" Sam asked. My first response was nothing but a shrug.

"I'm a little tired out. It hasn't exactly been the easiest day for you either. I reckon a near blitzkrieg between yourself and detective will drain you a bit?"

Sam laughed a little and shrugged. "I wasn't trying anything against him," he defended himself.

I laughed closer to him and stared him in the eye. "Can't friends just visit? Sam?" I sat properly in my stool against and raised my glass. "Does nearly wanting to kill the other person constitute being friends?" I took a swig of my drink then looked at him expectantly.

Sam shrugged slightly and said, "I find that there are different levels of friendship. I can't help it that Luke is at a very low level on my friendship-o-meter. Though I suppose he's fairly high on yours..." He trailed off at the end and left the bitter tone in his voice hanging. I frowned and looked down at my drink. _'At this moment, I beg to differ._' The question was nagging me, but I pushed it aside for the moment. I raised the glass to my lips again and downed the rest of my drink, slamming the now empty cup down.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter anyways. Luke's pissed at me." I scoffed then added, "I suppose I should just be flattered he even gave me room for any kind of emotion."

Concern filled Sam's eyes. "Why? What happened?" I stared forward, lost in my thoughts. My face had set into a look of contemplation. "McNally?"

"Sam, who's Zoe?"

* * *

Yeah, I just went there. The mystical happenings of Zoe Martinelli. I secretly hoped the show would tell me, but because it hasn't I made it up. And well, I was reading something theories and they all seem so plausible. I'm sticking to simplistics though. You'll find out more next time! I promise that you'll enjoy next chapter. Heheh! But you have to review in order to get it. Muahaha. Actually, I need to write it first... Same/difference.

If there's any mistakes, please point them out (unless its minor like commas or something). I only half edited it multiple times. I just kinda wanted to get it out now.. Yeah.

Thanks for reading!

**RxR  
MichaellaLoe  
**


	5. Muddled Up

I'm back again!

On a random note, I watched Reaper (And by "watched" I mean in two days watched the entire series) and loved every moment of it. Great show, hilarious! HILARIOUS! And Missy. Plus Bret is hot... not the point.

Personally, I'm thinking you'll like the chapter... Maybe? I'm about, like, 95% sure you'll at least somewhat enjoy it. Sorry for it consisting of so much dialogue in the first bit. But that's just how it is.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed/ favorited/ alerted. You are the reason this chapter exists.

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.

* * *

**

_The question was nagging me, but I pushed it aside for the moment. I raised the glass to my lips again and downed the rest of my drink, slamming the now empty cup down._

_"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter anyways. Luke's pissed at me." I scoffed then added, "I suppose I should just be flattered he even gave me room for any kind of emotion."_

_Concern filled Sam's eyes. "Why? What happened?" I stared forward, lost in my thoughts. My face had set into a look of contemplation. "McNally?"_

_"Sam, who's Zoe?"_

It was like time had instantly froze. There was no movement from him until he forced out the breath he had clearly been holding. He sat, letting the question really sink in. I saw his eyes flicker up from the glass in his hands to the wall across from him, and, as sorrowful as his eyes looked, there were still sparks of life in them. "How- uh... how'd you find out about her?"

I leaned back, sitting upright, and faced forward like him. "First day."

"What?"

"First day. The same day I busted you," I started. From the corner of my eye, I saw a grin grace his face.

"The day you tackled me to the ground. I got a lot of scraps from that," he said in a reminiscent tone. We both laughed in spite of the topic we were discussing. "But I still don't understand how you found out about her on your first day. Or rather, why."

"I asked Luke if he worked out of headquarters and he said that he was lead investigator for Zoe Martinelli's case."

Sam's head turned and leaned slightly towards me, eyes still down. "And?"

I looked down at my drink again. "I went to Luke's office before I came here, and we had this fight. I-... he-... God. Things between us are just getting so complicated. Which is-" I broke off when Sam's eyes captured mine. The deep concern in his eyes made me think back to the night Benny died. A sudden sadness started to take over me, but I forced myself to break away from Sam's gaze and continue. "I got, well... bitchy and grabbed one of the million files he was swimming in, and I saw her name. That's what this is all about, isn't it? Tanner Lloyd? Did he..."

Sam didn't say anything.

"Is anyone ever going to explain-" Sam held up his hand to cut me off and downed his drink in one gulp. After gently slamming the glass against the counter of the bar, he shifted in his chair to face me.

"Zoe Martinelli had a thing with Callaghan. She was my partner this one night, and we had just finished our shift. We went to the Black Penny together. I was about to leave, and I asked her if she needed a ride anywhere. She said Luke was going to meet her up there, and I left." Sam stopped for a moment. "I don't know what happened."

"And he blames you?" I asked sadly, though I already knew the answer.

"Yeah. Well, he blames himself more. What bothers him more is the fact that we haven't been able to get this guy. We have nothing on him - it haunts him. TL's just that one suspect who won't stop showing up."

I suddenly felt extremely guilty. I was confused, at loss of words, and I didn't know what to do.

"Hey, don't feel like your at fault for anything."

I scoffed and asked the bartender for another drink. "I snapped at him. I read his files."

A sullenness came over me and stared blankly ahead. Sam inched forward a little more and said, "It's not your fault. He didn't let you in. You're the most stubborn and determined human on the planet, he oughtta know that." In the noisiness of the bar, we sat in our own little silence. My brain scrambled in a paradoxical, sluggish way until I finally made a connection.

"Ever since then. Is that what you meant? 'He picks a new rookie every year.' It was after Zoe that he started doing that, right?" I observed Sam struggling for the right words.

"Zoe's death changed him. And when I said that, I didn't mean it bitterly. He _does _pick a new rookie every year, and I really hope this year is different. I don't want you getting hurt - I want things to work out for you, Andy." Lies. There was an undeniable acid in his voice that made me both defensive and thrilled. I took another gulp of my drink, theoretically blaming the feelings on the alcohol itself.

"That's unlikely now. We've been having-... things aren't working out as well as they could be."

Sam sat up straight and leaned back, casually running a hand through his hair. "Andy, one argument doesn't mean you're having problems. It means you argue. Welcome to 96% of relationships."

With a shake of my head I said, "No, before then. This whole time we've been having issues. We're just- I don't know. Most of the time we get along. It's only when there's a big problem that we don't get along. Like with Benny. Ever since then, I don't know. But I guess most of the time he treats me like I don't exist so...," I trailed off, my voice slowly getting quieter. After a moment, Sam asked a question that I had been avoiding for a long time with pure, honest sincerity and care in his voice.

"Why are you with him then?"

The question hit me like a ton of bricks, and there was a sudden tension. Though it wasn't anything apparently new, I was now forced to come up with a response. Or so I thought.

"Sorry. Not my place. Just forget about it for now. Relax for the night. You've had a long day."

And I did just that, and we passed the time talking about anything we could think of.

The number of drink refills continued to grow, and eventually my lips were numbed slightly, fingertips frozen, and speech brutally stammering. But I didn't care in the slightest. After Sam finished telling me some embarrassing story about Oliver that I was bound to forget within minutes, I abruptly blurted euphorically.

"Let's play a game."

Sam laughed and put his drink down with a clink. "I am _not_ playing truth or dare with you, McNally."

Arms thrown wildly in the air, I replied, "That's not what I meant."

"Oh." Sam nodded. "I'm not playing spin the bottle either if that's what you're getting at."

I laughed drunkenly, pointing a lazy finger at him, and said with an even drunker slur, "_You_...only wish! I'm gonna ask you a question. And then you're going to answer it."

"Sounds intense."

"Oh it is." I downed the rest of my drink then thought. "Uhm... Favorite song."

"Are we in grade 2, McNally?"

"I thought it was a reasonable question," I said defensively while looking around the bar in attempt to hide the somewhat shame.

"I expected something more, I don't know, crafty."

"_Fine_. First kiss," I laughed.

"Good Lord," he said with a sigh. "It was in grade six, her name was Emily, and I was a very determined child."

I leaned forward a bit. "What did you do?"

"Asked her out four times, got shut down every time. I had a theory kissing her would convince her to go out with me."

My mind reeled at the idea of a little Sam following a girl around, utterly smitten. The image didn't quite fit. "Oh... Did it work?"

"I believe she kicked me in the shin. Bad recess."

My loud, obnoxious laughter caused heads to turn, but I was too drunk to be bothered. Apparently, Sam wasn't bothered much either - he chuckled and took a small sip of his drink as I, in ceaseless laughter, dropped my head onto the bar counter. "Easy there, McNally. Don't hurt yourself."

"I'm sorry-... It's just-... You just-... Ha!" My laughing continued on and on. Sam let out another laugh and watched me carefully. "I'm sorry. I'm probably embarrassing you right now."

"Nah. Not really."

Heads slowly turned away as the silence between us continued, and I eventually calmed myself down. My manic high turned into a sudden depression when I finally spoke again. "You must hate me." His hand dropped down onto the bar table with an extraordinarily loud thud. I assumed the decibel of the noise was only because of my ear pressed against the table top itself.

There was a bitter frown on his face mixed with hurt and sadness. "Why would I hate you?"

"Because I ruined potentially the biggest point of your career. I destroyed a huge, ginormous, colossal, astronomically huge bust." I pressed my face harder against the wood of the bar, trying to absorb the rest of its coldness that quickly got diminished by the burning of my flesh.

"That wasn't your fault, Andy. You had no way to know I was an undercover cop. In all honesty, it's mainly Boyko's fault. But it's also kind of Oliver's fault. But it wasn't your fault. You were doing your job, and I give you credit for that. You managed to bust me on your first day. Had I not been an undercover cop, you would have been the talk of 15."

I scoffed and replied, "I _was_ the talk of 15. 'The rookie who busted the UC.' I'd rather just be unknown."

Sam rested his head in his hand and stared at me. "I don't hate you, Andy. I could never hate you."

With a shrug, I looked away. The eye contact was only making me feel worse for even asking the question. But I still persisted. "You did that day."

"Oh, come on. Don't use that against me. Sure, I was very pissed off, but you can't really blame me for that. And yeah, I was an ass to you, but I never hated you. I am more than happy where I am now. I'm glad I'm not undercover anymore. I'm glad I'm your partner." That first day seemed so long ago that the flashbacks were fuzzy around the edges but completely focused on Sam yelling, snapping, glaring, smiling at me harshly. "You know I trust you, right? I trust you with my life."

Forcing myself to sit up at least half way, I placed my left elbow on the countertop and then placed the side of my head in my hand. We stared at each other briefly until I could no longer hold his gaze and my eyes drifted away from his.

"Yeah, well, you trust me because you have to."

Sam scoffed sarcastically and said, "I don't have to do anything. I trust you simply because I do." We watched each other again as I considered the truth in his words. "Now. Your turn. Worst elementary school memory."

Shaking off the fact that I was obviously unprepared but abruptly filled with a happy energy, I started stammering, "Ah, ah, ah! Ah! Oh... Um...Grade 4, Mrs. Lansly's class, the pocket of my jeans completely ripped off."

"Seriously?"

I jumped up in my seat and waved my arms around. "I'm dead serious! We were playing some stupid game during lunch recess, and we were all lined up against the fence. Like, you know, a metal fence. We must have been playing What Time is it Mr. Wolf or something like that. Anyways, I have no idea how it happened by my pocket got caught on the fence somehow. Then I- Hah! Tried to run." I broke off with a laugh.

"And- And- Ha! Oh god. I just heard this tearing noise! And I was wearing, like, _teddy bear underwea_r!" My loud laughter filled the bar again, but this time no one really seemed to notice. The sound simply blended with every other sound in the bar. This time Sam was laughing with me nearly as hard.

"Oh. _That_ is hilarious," he said as he dabbed at a forming tear in his eye.

"It was terrible! I almost died of embarrassment."

Sam shrugged with a smile. "It was a character builder."

My eyes jokingly narrowed at him, and he simply smiled back at the action. "Scariest movie you've ever seen?"

"Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The first one. You?"

He thought for a moment then replied, "Hmm.. scariest movie. Probably Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. Gene Wilder. Those oompa loompas were just... wrong and scary as hell."

"Uhm... hottest actress?"

He raised an eyebrow in contemplation. He instantly shot out his answer, "Megan Fox."

"Favorite movie?"

"The Godfather."

"Worst movie you've ever seen?"

"The Car."

My rapid fire questions ceased briefly as I started him down in confusion.

"_A killer car_? It wasn't exactly quality film."

Hours, and many questions, later I found the slight blitz that I was so very aware of before fading fast. I was amazed at the number of people still filling the Black Penny. The air was becoming thick and muggy from the people sweating and jostling into each other. It eventually gave me a slight headache.

"Come on. I'll give you a ride home," Sam said as he stood up from his stool.

After a somewhat wobbly trip to the door, we stepped outside into the night. The coldness pressed against me and alleviated the choking feeling I had in the Penny. Realizing that I had used most of my energy talking, once I got in the truck I simply rested against the side of the door and allowed the weight of my eye lids to close. The radio wasn't on, which I told him frequently drove me insane, but the hum of the truck and Sam's breathing was more than enough sound for me. As I laid comfortably in a semi-conscious state, Sam continued driving and said absolutely nothing until we reached my apartment.

"Andy?" he whispered gently.

I groaned sleepily in response and sat up. In attempt to rid of my sleepiness, I rubbed my hands on my face and reopened my eyes. With a suppressed yawn and turned to him. "Thank you, Sam. For everything."

His one arm was still stretched out over the steering wheel when he grinned at me. "Get some sleep."

With a nod and a small smile, I placed my hand on the door handle. For a moment, all thought ceased, my mind a complete void. But as quickly as it came, it vanished. Still, I remained in my seat, staring out my window more than aware of the fact I should be getting out. But a thought was holding me in place.

"Sam?"

"Yeah, McNally?"

"Have you ever done the right thing for the wrong reasons?"

He slowly slid his hand from the steering wheel and rested his elbow against the side of his truck. With his eyes on me, he nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, I have. A few times, actually. And what I've learned is that, in the end, it doesn't work." And with that response, we sat silently refusing to look at each other. I nodded and tried to force myself to get out, placing a hand on the door handle.

"What about doing the wrong thing for the right reasons?"

He let out a small laugh at the question and replied, "Sometimes the wrong thing isn't really all that wrong."

Shocked, I tore my hand away from the door handle and whirled in my seat to face him. My eyes watched his arm drop from the door, slumping against the side of his body, until my eyes fluttered to his face only to meet his eyes.

Mindlessly, wholly on autopilot, I slowly leaned towards Sam, who was mirroring my movement. I could feel the warmth of his breath as it brushed across my face, and in unison, we paused within only inches of each other. I searched his eyes for a spark of hesitance or anything of the sort. A minuscule part of me wanted to find it, his want to stop and forget what was presumably about to happen, solely because it would provide me with a legitimate reason, a need to stop. But every other part of me begged for him to continue. Without a regret.

I watched his eyes to flicker to my lips for a split second then return to my eyes. I could tell that there wasn't even a hint of hesitation in him.

And it was instantly made apparent there was none in me. Before I could stop myself, I fervidly leaned forward and pressed my lips against his in a nearly aggressive manner.

One hand immediately found its way to my hair, fingers slowly becoming tangled, the other resting on my waste, pulling me closer. His skin was cool on my burning finger tips, but his lips were warm against my cold ones. Heated kiss after heated kiss, our breathing became more rapid and our hold on each other tightened.

Blindly, I reached for his seat belt which was still full in tact and pressed the button. He ripped the seat belt away after breaking apart slightly.

No longer being held back, he dominantly leaned forward until he was early hovering over me. After a number of more kisses, the air in the cab of his truck was becoming extraordinarily hot and humid. With the ragged breaths we were already drawing in, it was almost impossible to breathe sufficiently. I sat up from my position and inched backwards, pulling Sam with me. When my back hit the door, I pulled away.

The sound of our gasping in the silence was deafening in the thick, hot air, proof being the condensation beginning to form on the windows. Hating the silence and the frenzy of sensations within me, I kissed him again nearly as hard as the first time. Once my hand found the door handle, I forced it open; I was overwhelmed yet relieved at the sharp gust of cold air.

This time Sam pulled away and looked at me with slight confusion. I briefly kissed him again before he took full initiative and tore his keys out of the ignition in a hurry. He got out of his truck on the passenger side after me, and as soon as he stepped onto the sidewalk, using my back, I shoved the door shut.

Sam pinned me against his truck lightly and continued pressing his lips against mine much more gently, short and rapid, but with just as much heat and need. He stepped away from the vehicle with me in his arms, and we started stumbling towards my front door but getting too caught up in each other to actually move forward in any way. Presumably fed up with our nonproductive stumbling, he picked me up with what appeared to be the utmost ease. Clinging onto him, arms around his neck and legs around his waist, I gazed down at him, and it was then that I noticed he was grinning wildly.

He hurriedly approached the door as we continued on with our kissing craze. When we were right at the door, Sam tightened his hold on me and softened our kisses, slowing them down. _'Please don't let this end now. Please._'

Sam pulled away and stared at me with a look of expectancy written on his face. Huskily, he said, "You _do_ have your keys, right?"

After a moment on comprehension I grinned and replied, "Put me down."

One more kiss and he slowly lowered me down until my feet were planted against the ground. With shaking hands in urgency, I reached into my pockets and fished out my keys. I opened the door as fast as I could and stepped inside. I flipped on the first two lights. '_That should be enough to get to my room... maybe._'

Sam, quickly behind me, shut the door and locked it. When he turned to face me again, I grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him against me with more force than I thought, and I caused myself to recoil backwards slightly and bump against one of the many boxes lining my wall.

'_There's glass in there. There is definitely glass in there,_' I thought, but it didn't matter to me.

The only thing that mattered was Sam's lips against mine, and Sam's tongue twisting with mine, and Sam's hands running over my body.

Through the semi-darkness, we stumbled along, inching closer and closer to my bedroom. Within seconds of stepping into my room, we tore each others shirts off without hesitation. Sam picked me up once again and lowered me onto the bed. The main entry, the moon and the street lamp outside shining through the window were the only source of light shining into the room.

Sam pulled away and stared down at my face shortly. Instantly, his lips pressed against mine, but there was a shift and everything slowed. The insistent heat calmed. He ran his lips down my neck as my fingers tangled lightly in his hair. His lips returned to mine as his fingers traced down my waist in a painfully pleasurable way causing me to let out a small moan. Kiss after kiss seemed to escalate again, and the need that was present before returned. My hands trailed down his chest until the settled on the buttons of his jeans.

"Andy," Sam groaned between kisses as we grinded against each other. I continued fumbling with the buttons. "_Andy._"

The cautionary tone in his voice caused a flood gate to open in my mind. A millions thoughts raced into my mind. Rules. Training officer. Luke. Abby. Amy. Luke. Training officer. Rookie. Zoe Martinelli. TL. Rules.

My fingers tore away from the still done up buttons as if they burned through my skin. In tandem, we recoiled from one another, and our eyes bore into each other. Sam breathed deeply and backed away to sit on the bed. In somewhat of a shame, I looked down and ran my left hand through my hair.

"Sam. I- I'm so sorry. I-..." I didn't know what precisely I was apologizing for, and I'm sure he didn't either. I just hoped he would take it as however he wanted to.

"Yeah. Yeah, me too. I should- I should go. I'll see you tomorrow."

He stood up and headed out of the room, stopping just behind the door frame to pick up his shirt. I watched him put it on as he continued down the hall. I stared blankly to the side, hiding my face from him. Only when I heard the door closing did I allow myself to face forward as the tears formed in my eyes. Why I was crying was, again, beyond me. I buried my face into my hands and cried freely.

Partly for Luke out of sympathy.

Partly for Sam out of empathy.

Partly for me for screwing up my life on so many levels.

Partly for allowing things to get as far as they did with Sam.

And partly for missing out on something I secretly wanted more than anything else in the world.

* * *

Aaaand scene! For taking so long, I'm sorry it's not longer. The only part that I could write decently was the drunken scenes... _That's_ a great sign.

Again, I only went over it once so if you see any major mistakes, if you could kindly point them out to me that would be super duper so I could fix them. Mhm. Thank you for reading!

**RxR  
MichaellaLoe**


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